You might recognize Lily from earlier this fall. She didn’t use this gorgeous green sweater and there were some regrets so we answered those with a mini session for the sweater! I’ve been photographing Lily for years now and was a little sad when her senior session was over so I was more than happy to meet her at the Eureka Schoolhouse for one more shoot!
Our European Adventure ~ Day Seven
Day seven saw us back in Aarhus for more touring about before we headed towards Copenhagen (with a quick drive through Odense). Let’s just say the wind was unbelievable which made the drive a little frightening at times - particularly as we crossed the Great Belt Bridge (or Storebaeltsbroen in Danish)!
In some areas of Aarhus the pedestrian lights are Vikings to honor their heritage …. and I dare that they are a cute and whimsical addition to the environment. Our exploration included a couple of Churches. In one, an older gentleman pointed us to a different door to view the chapel …. as we exited the main Church into an internal courtyard Rachel whispered “do the Voltari” mean anything to you? And I have to say, I wasn’t entirely sure she was wrong …. but thankfully, it was just a chapel and we came out alive on the other end!
Our European Adventure ~ Day Six
Day six brought us on what may have been my favorite day of our entire trip …. and we saw some pretty incredible things and had some super amazing experiences. However, for day six Emily had talked about a friend recently visiting the northern most point of Denmark … where the Baltic & the North Seas meet. The seas do not mix because they have dynamically different salt make ups.
Emily talked about the friend getting to see seals up close and personal … as you can see this was a valid point. I’m not sure if watching the two seas collide (they had very different “choppiness” factors with one sea being considerably calmer than the other) or the lighting was my favorite piece of the experience. Skagan and the Grenen peninsula have attracted artists for years and years - particularly impressionist painters - and it was clear to me immediately why! The light was the kind that artists dream of!
The wind was super intense and the October temperatures were chilly but a visit in the summer time will likely forever tug at my visions. In addition to seeing two great seas collide there’s also many WWII bunkers that provided defense and protection within the dunes.
Following our exploration we returned back to the town of Skagan which is adorable within itself for lunch and a treat before our return trip to Aarhus. We did make a quick stop in Aalborg to explore a bit and then were treated to Rachel’s stellar driving skills when she saw a highway sign for the “Memphis Mansion” complete with a profile of Elvis. With her fandom in high excite mode she guided us to a replica of Graceland right there in Denmark. The mansion has an American Style diner located in it - so even though we had full bellies we enjoyed a snack and crazy milkshakes! (No big camera pictures here - it was dark & my heart was still soaring with the light from earlier in the day!)
Our European Adventure ~ Day Five
We began our morning at a hotel just south of Hamburg. It was really quite a cool thing - at so many spots across the US we’ve seen hotels, gas stations and restaurants all sort of gathered together right off the exits …. this place had it all under one roof! Plus a robot that delivered our food from the kitchen!
We then began our trek towards Denmark. While we had planned to explore Germany a little further we could see in their eyes that both Emily & Uxue were very excited to show us their “home towns” and do some exploration that was further than public transportation could get them or a bit beyond their budgets!
Our first stop was Emily’s home city of Aarhus. We visited a museum - Den Gammel By - that she had been looking at for awhile. It featured exhibits from different parts of Aarhus’ history … including an area from the 1970’s - I won’t lie it was difficult to swallow the fact toys from my childhood were in a display behind plexiglass!
Afterwards we got a tour of Emily’s apartment and filled her (tiny) fridge and cupboards before dinner at Street Foot (imagine a large building filled with every street vendor you can dream up).
Our European Adventure ~ Day Four
Day four involved quite a bit of driving as we moved north through Germany. We left Rothenburg in the morning. We drove by an old US Military base where Rachel’s father was stationed before heading to Wurzburg for lunch and a bit of exploration. We stopped and got some winter coats (the weather forecast was significantly colder than anticipated) at “TK Maxx”, explored the streets admiring the Marienberg Fortress from the Old Main Bridge before lunch at Sternback restaurant where I had the most amazing glass of wine!
We then began to make our way northward to almost Hamburg to prepare to head to Denmark the following day. At one point we passed a view where you could view nuclear, wind and sun power stations all at once (I was not fast enough, nor was my camera lens wide enough to capture it all in one image).
Our European Adventure ~ Day 3
After a night in Fussen (Hotel Fussen was an incredibly great place to stay, affordable and had an incredible breakfast …. imagine, flavorful yogurt that isn’t neon in color! …. I highly would recommend it!) we wandered around the streets for a bit in the morning, explored a Church (hello creepy crypt!) and then set off back to Austria yet since we were just a stone’s throw and Emily was not with us in Salzburg and had yet to check Austria off her list.
In Austria we watched a pulley system deliver buckets of rocks to and from a quarry (I think this thing must have been a couple miles plus long) and then we drove along a river and checked out the blue water spill over a dam.
We then set out along the autobahn (Amazon Prime is in Europe too) heading to the walled city of Rothenburg - our destination for the night. We walked along the wall, had lunch in an outside cafe and visited a teddy bear store & a Christmas store before turning in for the evening.
Forest ~ GMUHS Class of 2024
During this summer’s flooding I watched one of my favorite places to shoot senior portraits be submerged in water. While that was a very minimal concern with all the devastation that occurred, it did force me into different locations this senior season with some pretty spectacular finds.
Thankfully the damage to the dam area was minimal once the waters receded and I was able to return to my favorite spot for Forest’s session. I’m beyond happy that my white birch tree remains standing as well! I do love a white birch and this tree is a staple in any of my senior sessions at the dam.
It was also wonderful to end Forest’s sessions with a quick portraits with his parents!
Our European Adventure ~ Day Two
Day two was all about visiting Schwangau, Germany. The plan was to spend some time in Fussen before our early evening tour time of Neuschwanstein Castle but once we pulled off to admire the castle nestled in the Alps we just couldn’t leave the village.
For years I have heard Rachel swoon over this castle and talk about it being the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle. I could always seen the similarities but now that I’ve been and seen it in person it is clear as day. (Interesting note from our tour, Walt Disney never visited the castle.)
We walked the edge of Swan Lake, ate schnitzel and beer at a local restaurant and admired both Neuschwanstein Castle as well as Hohenschwangau Castle and visited the shops prior to our tour. Seeing the details within the castle was fascinating - and the throne room was gorgeous - we got to go onto the balcony overlooking the village and the view was nothing short of breathtaking.
After our tour we headed to Fussen, got settled into our hotel and found some dinner.
Many of my photos are giants & don’t upload well …. so if you want to see all the images from our trip you can visit here: https://deniseephotography.zenfolio.com/p1015676472
Our European Adventure ~ Day One
Well, maybe better put “full day one”. The day prior we arrived in Munich in the morning …. I think spent a good solid 2 hours at the airport getting through customs and waiting for our luggage to make it. We then set off to start our vacation on a very solemn, yet important note at Dachau Concentration Camp. I wanted to sit in the visit as much as possible, so I elected to not carry my big camera with me. After our visit we grabbed a nap, then dinner and picked Uxue up from the airport.
Day One brought us to Salzburg, Austria (yes, I did twirl in a field in the alps in my best Julie Andrews impersonation) and we were privileged to meet some of Uxue’s family. Her aunt, uncle and two cousins meet us and toured us around the city. Chase even worked with the younger of her cousins to overcome the language barrier between technology and the universal child language - play!
Salzburg was such a beautiful place that I hope to return again some day for a few days of exploration. The narrow streets with pastel painted buildings and shop signs that are nothing short of works of art are just some of the many highlights.
After a fantastic day we then headed back to Munich to grab Emily from the airport. You’ll see some gems in these images taken by Chase of both his sisters … and our AirBnB kitchen snacks … I don’t know why we have the photo but he took it so it is important enough to save!
Oh and forgive me … many of the images on this trip are taken as we are driving through the windows!! You can also see all our trip images in this gallery. https://deniseephotography.zenfolio.com/p1015676472
Brandon ~ SHS Class of 2024
Brandon’s senior portraits took me to a place that - believe it or not - I have not shot at previously ….. Springweather. I have had many sessions at the top of the dam as well as all over in the entrance in Perkinsville but never at Springweather.
We lucked out with a simply gorgeous fall day as the foliage was beginning to give us a bit of a show after a very slow beginning this season. We ventured by streams, up trees and used giant rocks. Brandon was also a senior that brought along a faithful 4 legged friend too!
Aelis ~ Class of 2024
Aelis is another senior who brought along my favorite kind of accessory ever ….. her pup! The love the two shared so so evident and special I am honored to have captured it!
We spent time the Eureka Schoolhouse and surrounding area to take her photos …. while it might be right on the side of the road there’s so many great little spots that are just perfect for a senior session … it is another one of those places here in Springfield that so often gets overlooked. Plus I just love how much texture the outside of the schoolhouse can bring to an image …. and there’s a perfect tree for portraits.
Ethan ~ SHS Class of 2024
I’ve talked a lot about locations this fall - and all my seniors have had some pretty amazing spots - but sometimes the most obvious location is overlooked - HOME! In addition to being a place you are already comfortable in - it makes outfit changes a breeze! No hiding behind a blanket or in the woods!!!
Ethan had a gorgeous sundrenched field just outside his front door which made the absolute perfect location to capture his senior portraits and include his truck!
Lily ~ SHS Class of 2024
Rosie asked me if she could bring her human along to her senior portrait session recently. I told her why not!!
I’ve been taking Lily’s (Rosie’s human) school photos for a number of years now in a wide variety of locations but she settled on St. Gaudens just across the river. If you have yet to make a visit to the park yet, make plans to do so and enjoy the gorgeous artwork as well as the natural beauty all around you.
There are too many micro-locations along the way to share them all here - but you’ll see a couple of my particular favorites …. the pink wall and the concrete corner are just a couple examples!
Avery ~ SHS Class of 2024
One of the biggest questions I get in the scheduling process for senior portraits - or any session for that matter - is WHERE?! There are limitless answers to this question. My first reminder is always - these are portraits of you, so more than a picture-perfect backdrop it really needs to be a place where you feel comfortable more than anything else.
One of my favorite locations is just using all the nooks & crannies in & around our downtown. It is often an overlooked location but once you step back & look you can see beautiful brick backgrounds, the pillars of Church stoops and gorgeous flower boxes. We can easily achieve both a country feel and an urban feel within a few feet of each other! Avery chose this area for her portraits and here’s just a sampling of the variety we achieved (plus a demo of why bringing mom is a great idea to help get the shirt or dress to lie just right!).
Date Night!
Has it been a while since you’ve had some photos taken with your significant other? Are you waiting for an “occasion” to have them done? Why not make it a date night?! Get as dressed up - or down - as you want and spend 20 minutes with me capturing your relationship as it is now. Be silly, be formal … but be you!!! You can wear your favorite hat or bring your favorite snuggly blanket …. and certainly, do not forget the fur babies! For not much more than the cost of a couple of movie tickets and the snacks (popcorn & nonpareils for me please!) you can capture this moment in time forever.
Tori ~ Class of 2024
Added bonus of working at Crown Point Country Club? A gorgeous location for senior portraits! I met up with Tori on a glorious fall day and we explored the grounds for some stunning portrait locations - including my favorite - the grove of trees!
Avant Vermont Dance presents SEASONS: Autumn
I was so lucky to be asked to capture Avant Vermont Dance’s SEASONS: Summer in June so I was over the moon when asked back to capture their performance of SEASONS: Autumn earlier this month.
It’s no secret that I love Comtu Park. It is such a great space located in downtown Springfield that seems to easily draw both nature and man made things together. It a place of rejuvenation …. the might roar of the Black River through Comtu Falls drowns out the world around you while you’re there.
The park provides an unexpected, yet beautiful location for a dance performance. Avant Dance Vermont has used this well to go about their mission to re-imagine community and provide meaningful art-making experiences. The performance of SEASONS: Autumn reflects the process of renewing by coming apart in order to see anew. The touching performance asked us to notice the sadness, the beauty and the growth that surrounds us.
Moira ~ SHS Class of 2024
We had so much fun during Moria’s senior session this fall! This girl is amazing at giving me a large range of expressions! In an instant she goes from girl next door to I could rip your face off! We got such an amazing variety of images quickly with her skills. A quick change of expression can give you a completely different look without changing anything else in the image.
Meanwhile …. does anyone else think she looks just like Mila Kunis?
Lorelei ~ Class of 2024
I have been photographing Lorelei and her siblings from the very beginning of my photography career! I have watched them all grow up & graduate …. from Ainsley who could go all day … to Ethan who needed me to get the shots done & fast …. to now Lorelei! I’ve captured her through both her dancing and equestrian careers. I’ve watched her grow from the tiny little dancer to the fierce young woman she is … ready to take on the world! I, however, can seriously not believe she is a senior!
We had so much fun traveling around the area finding the perfect settings for her outfits and costumes (why not add some dance costumes in, it’s a giant piece of her life and supports my philosophy that your senior portraits should represent who you are!) This session with Lorelei’ has actually inspired me to provide a new level of portrait session …. “The Adventure Session”!!! More information will be coming later this fall on that!
I hope you enjoy this preview of her session - she was a dream with work with and we had so much fun being creative together!
Child Centered Family Photos
A couple of weeks ago I shared a family photo on a pile of Vermont “marshmallows”. The portrait was dreamed up by one of the children during our session and I seized the opportunity for some fun as well as giving the child something fun to work towards.
While I will always try for that holiday card family photo know that I love to get the fun ones and the ones that show me just who your family is! When your spicy 3 year old is a 15 year old honors student taking the world by storm, you’ll look back at those images and remember that for a period of 6 months they would only leave the house carrying that stuffed bunny and would only wear that one pink princess dress. This is what I love to capture …. the dirty, the messy, the real you. I want your children to leave my sessions with hearts full of love with me capturing some fun, excited for the next time we stop to capture you all again.